VISITING THE HIVE. Artist Sarah Magill has found herself returning to our neck of the woods over and over during her creative renaissance. (Photo via Magill's website)

Like most people, singer-songwriter Sarah Magill has regrets. Unlike most people, she loves them. “Everybody says ‘No regrets,’ but you’re lying to yourself,” Magill says. “They’re so helpful – you learn what you actually want.” 

On Regrets Only, Magill’s new album under the name Quiet Takes, she explores the tension of trying to decide which path to take in life. After years of living in Kansas City and working a corporate job, Magill pursued a nomadic lifestyle and returned to a former love: music. However, this change wasn’t made without hesitation, and she explores this feeling in her first single, “Invitation.” 

“It’s the idea of being at this house that’s all boarded up and trying to get in, and being like, ‘What am I doing?’” Magill shared. “I wrote it to try and remind myself to stop doing that and to look for the right invitations, the ones that are right in front of you, and not the ones that are lost or shut altogether.” 

Magill – who recorded the album at with Zach Hanson at The Hive, Brian Joseph’s Eau Claire studio – strives, and succeeds, to communicate emotions like these through her music. Her gentle voice blends naturally with everything from the keys in “Invitation” to the upright bass played later on the record by local musician Jeremy Boettcher.  In many ways, the indie-folk album calls back to classics like Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, Feist, and Bruce Springsteen. 

As for what’s next, Magill has a team working on a “travel trailer” to do pop-up shows, and she hopes to grow as a songwriter. 

“My long-term goal is putting handles on feelings,” Magill shared.  “I want to be like, ‘Here’s a feeling.  Do you feel it, too?’ ”

Magill’s new single, “Invitation,” is available on streaming platforms now. Farewell Transmission Radio will host a release show for her album, Regrets Only, in February. 

Learn more about Sarah Magill and Quiet Takes online. Find her music on Bandcamp.